Zero - 1

"Lena, what're you doing back here?" Kara said as she fidgeted with her hands. Lena smiled and swayed a little, flourishing her hands at her sides.

"Okay, you caught me. It was supposed to be a surprise but I'm the one who's going to introduce you. I couldn't miss an opportunity to tell the world how wonderful you are." Lena's words, mannerisms and smile were fake. Underneath her perfect practiced smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, her rage was seething. She wanted nothing more than to rip out Kara's lying tongue before she could layer on yet another lie.

"Lena, I can't let you do this, I don't deserve it." Lena felt her mind snap, and tried not to show her true feelings on the matter. But this was unexpected, what was Kara doing? She shook her head and with a small quiver to her voice she countered.

"Are you kidding me? Me more than anyone knows how much you deserve it. I saw how you risked your life to expose Lex's crimes. I…" Lena said with tears starting to form in her eyes, the lies like poison in her throat. Kara began to shake her head, trying to interrupt and blurting out the one thing that she knew would work.

"I'm Supergirl." Kara said exhaling sharply, a ball of nerves settling in her stomach. Lena's eyes widened and began to sting as she felt her anger momentarily deflate and her mouth fell open, unable to form words. Then Kara took a few halting breaths and reached up to remove her glasses.

"I've always been Supergirl. I should've told you so long ago, I know that. But I just kept making excuses because you've been hurt so many times and I convinced myself that I was protecting you. And then one day, you were so angry with me, with Supergirl. But you still loved Kara, and I just kept thinking if I could be Kara, just Kara that I could keep you… I was selfish and scared, and I didn't wanna lose you, so I kept pretending. I never stopped, until eventually I realized I wasn't protecting you, I was hurting you just like everyone else. Hurting you with every lie, hurting you with every omission and I'm so sorry." Kara was being absolutely genuine, her emotions clearly written across her face and eyes, as tears actively streamed down her cheeks.

Lena was frozen, speechless. She wanted to rage, she wanted to scream. Instead she closed her mouth and worked her jaw staring at her former best friend.

"Lena, please say something." Kara begged, and Lena opened her mouth slightly to respond, her chin trembling with her overwhelmed emotions. Then one of the event coordinators appeared at the top of the stairs behind them.

"Ms. Luthor, you are on in two minutes." He winced slightly at the clearly intense situation and ducked back down stairs. Lena watched him go and then looked back at Kara, shutting her eyes briefly before starting towards stairs. She wasn't sure how Kara would react, but expected her to be cowardly and timid like always and let her go. Instead Kara reached out and grazed her arm, gently asking her to stay with a simple motion before returning her hand to her side.

"I know you're angry, I would be too. But Lena, there's something else." Kara was looking at her intently and Lena raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Her expression was cold, but her eyes no longer held in the fury she felt.

"What more could you possibly say?" Lena's tone was borderline hostile, only managing to keep the sharpest edge out of her voice.

"I love you." Kara said simply, her breathing ragged. Lena didn't respond at first, she already knew Kara loved her as a friend, it's why this all hurt so much. The betrayal was not something she could forgive.

"I know, and that doesn't change anything." Lena said as she moved past her towards the stairs, but stopped at the top as she absorbed how Kara said the words. It wasn't a platonic declaration of love, she was saying she was in love with her. Lena gasped and looked back at Kara who was standing in the same spot, her shoulders shaking with uncontrollable sobs.

Hope's voice began to speak through the earbud she wore, "Ms. Luthor it is 9pm, should I upload the file to CatCo's servers?"

"No." Lena said immediately, and turned towards Kara not exactly sure what to do next. She had been so sure, so angry, so righteous in her feelings of betrayal. She had been planning something petty and cruel, and it hit her that she was turning into her brother. Letting her hate consume her and it felt like a weight crushing her chest.

"I sold CatCo because Lex told me the truth about you shortly before he died." Lena had to hold onto the top of the banister because she felt unsteady. Kara spun around and met Lena's eyes but still couldn't stop the sobs from shaking her chest. "He told me I was a fool, he made me believe you were just keeping me in the dark as a game. I didn't believe him, but you still kept on lying to me. Do you know how it feels to hear the lies and know what they are? It is so much worse. How can you love someone and do that to them?"

"I was afraid." Kara said, almost breaking eye contact.

"You, afraid?" Lena scoffed, and she sneered despite her need to hold onto her facade.

"If you hadn't noticed I'm not very good with love, I get twisted and skittish because of what it means to me." Kara admitted, shutting her eyes on more tears before choking them back and looking at Lena again who was just shaking her head.

"What could love possibly mean to you that would instill such fear?" There was a venom to Lena's words, and Kara felt in the pit of her stomach that this was it. Her last chance to make amends, to say her truth. She knew there was a real possibility that Lena might never speak to her again, and she didn't know what that would do to her.

"I was thirteen when I watched as my world was torn apart. I lost everyone that day. Friends I'd known all my life and my entire family save for Kal. Then I lost Jeramiah, and I've nearly lost everyone I loved so many times. It took me a long time to figure out why I always sabotage and push away anyone who might love me, romantically at least. As a friend it was hard enough to let you in, risking that potential hurt. So when I realized it was more than that, I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. Except my lies not only hurt you, but with every new one I created a greater and greater gap between us. As much as I wanted you, I was afraid of wanting you, because I knew deep in my heart that you're it. Lena, you're the love of my life. I'll always love you. Even if you never speak to me again, I would wait until the end of this world for you to change your mind." Kara's words hung in the air and she held her breath as Lena stood there staring at her. They stayed that way for several seconds, until Lena took a breath and turned back towards the stairs.

"I'm late for my speech." Lena said, glancing back.

Kara took a breath finally, and a few deep ones after to try and calm herself down. Then she wiped her eyes and checked her face in a compact before heading down the opposite stairs to join the crowd and listen to Lena. Lena came to the podium somehow poised and her makeup perfect. She looked down into the crowd and met Kara's gaze for a protracted moment, trying to gather her thoughts. She thought of her original speech, which was set to coincide with the release of Kara's secret identity to CatCo. It was all about liars, and was supposed to culminate in revealing that Kara was the ultimate liar. Except as she thought about that speech, it no longer made sense when all she could think about were those three words.

"Love, it's one of those things that is impossible to measure. Trust me, I've tried." The audience laughed as she smiled demurely before continuing. "The world is full of lovers, of stories of love and loss. It is the foundation of our culture in a lot of ways. People who enter our lives and change us, sometimes for the worse but mostly for the better. I should know, a few years ago someone like that entered my life. I haven't had a lot of experience with unconditional love, as you might well know my family isn't known for their affection. But in my life, there is one person that taught me what the word truly means, and she is the person we are here tonight to celebrate. Kara Danvers. Love isn't easy, or for the faint of heart. But it is something that Kara has always strived to impart in her writing. Perhaps it is because she always loves with her whole heart that she makes it look easy. Easy to take that love for granted, that in truth loving that completely isn't easy for most of us. Forging a path towards others is often like climbing a mountain. It's arduous and painful at times, and just like us Kara can slip, but she always gets back up and pulls through in the end. I know that she has made me better…" Lena's voice caught with the emotions bubbling up and she swallowed hard before she could continue. "Every single day I have known her. She lifted me up when there was no one else, and I cannot imagine my life without her in it. So thank you Kara for reminding us that love isn't just about words, or even the people closest to us. It is about how we do our best for our families, our city and for the world by showing just a bit more compassion to everyone."

Kara moved up to the Podium and Lena took her hands in hers. They stared at each other for a long moment until Lena leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "I love you too."

Lena pulled back, and a part of her wanted to just give in to her feelings and kiss her right there in front of everyone but just as she started to move something landed behind them. She looked back as a woman dressed in black held out her hands and swirls of black energy extended out towards them. Kara pulled her away as the room erupted in panic and people began to run.

They made it to the opposite stairwell, and Kara smiled and stood straight. "I guess that's your cue, Supergirl."

Kara smiled and yanked off her glasses confidently, as nanites began to form around her hands, extending up her arms and then down her body. The new suit completed for the first time, "Pants!" Kara said with an excited smile, and Lena chuckled at her excitement. "Get to safety, I'll meet you at your place later so we can talk."

"I'll be waiting." Lena said breathlessly as Kara sped off to face the strange assailant.